This Week In Launches: China to launch next rotation of crew to their space station

This week is an exciting week if you follow Chinese human spaceflight as we are set for the next crewed rotation launch for China’s Tiangong Space Station. Russia will also see a launch this week and over the weekend, we’ll see a double header from SpaceX.

This week’s launches:

• October 23 (Monday)
  • CASC Long March 2D Unknown Payload, 4:01 P.M ET
    • LC-3, Xichang Satellite Launch Center, China
• October 25 (Wednesday)
  • CASC Long March 2F/G Shenzhou-17, 11:14 P.M. ET
    • SLS-1, Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, China
• October 27 (Friday)
  • VKS RF Soyuz 2.1b Lotos-S1 n°08, 12:00 A.M. ET
    • Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russia
• October 28 (Saturday)
  • SpaceX Falcon 9 Starlink Group 6-25, 7:13 P.M. ET
    • SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida
  • SpaceX Falcon 9 Starlink Group 7-6, 11:16 P.M. PT
    • SLC-4E, Vandenberg Space Force Base, California

Join our Discord Server: Join the community with forums and chatrooms about space!

China to launch next space station crew rotation

We expect China to launch its 12th human spaceflight mission this week with the launch of the Shenzhou-17 spacecraft. Based loosely on Russia’s Soyuz spacecraft except larger, the spacecraft launches on the Long March 2F/G rockets.

Shenzhou is China’s first human rated spacecraft and began its career launching Taikonauts into low Earth orbit for short stays, similar to early Soviet and American human space programs. Currently, Shenzhou’s primary mission is to ferry new crews to and from the Tiangong Space Station.

For almost a year and a half, China has had a continued presence in space on Tiangong and plans to continue this moving forward. Shenzhou-17 and it’s yet to be named three crew members will launch to relieve the Shenzhou-16 crew currently on the station. Once launched and docked with Tiangong, the Shenzhou-17 crew will begin their six month stay in space.

SpaceX Starlink double header

At the end of the week we’ll be treated to a patent-pending SpaceX coast-to-coast doubleheader. The company plans to launch two Starlink missions, one from Florida then later in the night, another from California.

The two launches will be roughly six hours from each other and depending on what timezone you’re in, both on the same day. While the missions are as exciting as a humans launching for stay on a space station, it continues to show SpaceX’s ability to keep the momentum going on its Starlink business.

Both launches are expected to conclude with a drone ship landing out on the ocean.